Food Reviews (and Comments on AI)

 

4/6/26 quiche at Cloudy Cafe, Ballard

I have lots of pages from my daily sketch journal this year that I’ve been collecting in a folder, hoping to eventually find some kind of theme to make a cohesive blog post. I finally found one. You’ve seen plenty of pastries I’ve consumed, which may lead you to the conclusion that that’s the only food type I sketch (or eat!). Shown here are some foods I’ve eaten that are not pastries.

6/19/26 Xiao long bao at Supreme Dumplings, South Lake Union

Incidentally, I must tell you how I found Irwin’s Bakery & Café, where I enjoyed a very good hot croissant sandwich (called an “Eggel,” shown at end of post, because you can choose to get it on a bagel if you prefer). But first, some context:

7/26/26 avocado Benedict at Salt & Iron, Edmonds

If you’ll recall, a while back I talked about how I used ChatGPT to critique a couple of sketches. That novelty wore off immediately, and I never did it again. However, I have been using AI judiciously for other purposes, and the most productive has been for travel planning. For example, when I was planning my trip to the Bay Area last month, ChatGPT gave me an efficient itinerary for getting from San Jose to Palo Alto by train. It also offered useful tips on taking advantage of a shuttle instead of expending time and energy walking more than necessary on Stanford’s huge campus. It even gave me suggestions for the best places to have lunch on campus. It was all easily available information that I could have researched myself, piece by piece, but that would have taken hours. ChatGPT pulled it all together in a matter of seconds.

8/21/26 nigiri sushi at AA Sushi, Ballard

When I asked for it, it also gave me areas I should avoid on foot and others that were safe to walk in daylight. That type of information is harder to find by using basic Google searches.

8/24/26 nigiri sushi at Musashi, Wallingford (I deliberately purchased the same assortment as the few days prior at AA Sushi to compare the quality and cost. Musashi won on price, but it lacked presentation.)

In San Jose’s Japantown, which was filled with sushi restaurants, AI helped me find exactly the kind of menu and ambiance I like (I’m picky, and I had given it several specific criteria).

9/3/26 tuna salad croissant sandwich at Petit Pierre (Potato chips sounded like a novel, crunchy addition, but the premade, refrigerated sandwich rendered the chips soggy.)

Back to my croissant sandwich. In my endless quest for a “third place,” I sometimes ask AI for coffee shop suggestions, hoping it will find something new. Ho-hum – nothing. I’ve also been disappointed when the coffee might be great, but the pastries are plastic-wrapped (obviously not house-baked). Then I changed my request: “Find a bakery that also has a pleasant seating area, not just a takeout counter.” Irwin’s Bakery was one result (see the sandwich at end of post).

10/7/26 Cock-a-doodle-do appetizer at Noi Thai, Green Lake (The description of this dish didn't really interest me, but the photo was so beautiful that I couldn't resist ordering it; a friend helped me eat it.)

Though I’m still cautious in how I use it, I see AI’s place as an effective research tool.

10/11/26 soft bean burrito at Taco Time near the Amgen Helix Bridge (Some of the best food experiences are the ones that prompt long-forgotten memories -- even at Taco Time.)

10/22/26 hot croissant "Eggel" at Irwin's Bakery & Cafe, Wallingford

Golden Hour Drink & Draw

 

10/23/26 Project 9 Brewing Co., Maple Leaf neighborhood

Baloo and another dog (top), who was with
a different party. 

Project 9 Brewing has two large outdoor seating areas: a sheltered area on the north side with heaters, and a (potentially) sunny patio on the south side with lots of umbrella’d tables. When I first arrived for Friday’s drink & draw, I scoped out both areas to see which would be more comfortable. At 4 p.m., the sunshine was brilliant, warming the otherwise chilly afternoon. I picked the sunny patio, which gave us a lovely golden hour glow.

It was fun sketching backlit Stephanie, Abby and Kaisa (top of post), whom I could see easily at the next table. I was pleased that I had captured all three of their likenesses relatively well (and believe me, I don’t say that often when I sketch other sketchers). 

The most fun, though, was my favorite model of the evening, Jenny’s dog, Baloo. In fact, the quick colored pencil sketch I made from an unusual top view of his head (below) was especially satisfying. (Now that we’re nearing the end of InkTober, you think maybe I’m craving pencils?)

With the bittersweetness we all feel at this time of year, we fondly reminisced about our drink & draw last April, when the same sunny patio was a joyful preview of summer to come. This time, we sighed about the oncoming Big Dark. By sundown, it was too cold to sketch, so we called it a night.

Ahhh, pencil -- how I've missed you.

Backlit Wallingford

 

10/22/26 Wallingford neighborhood

When an errand brought me to the Wallingford neighborhood, it gave me an opportunity to take a leaf-peeping walk through some residential streets that I don’t usually see. Although it was only early afternoon, I could tell that the sun was already low in the sky compared to summer. This type of challenging backlit view always calls to me.

Technical note: After complaining yesterday about not liking the ways I’ve been indicating a clear sky with markers, I came up with an obvious solution. The sky is almost always the lightest, brightest part of an outdoor scene; why not leave it paper-white? It’s funny, though: When I deliberately leave a sky white, I’m usually indicating that it was overcast (which it is most of the year), and if it happens to be blue, it’s important to me to color it blue. But all the sharp shadows are doing the job of indicating a clear sky, so I’m good with that.

We're having a phenomenal leaf-peeping season this year!

Tardy with the Sweet Gums

 

10/20/26 Green Lake

For my annual homage, I try to catch the Green Lake sweet gums at their prime. Although I’ve been admiring them on my weekly fitness walks around the lake, I didn’t get around to sketching them until a few days ago – a bit past peak. I stopped at one of my favorite viewpoints across the lake.

Technical notes: I think I’ve only ever sketched these trees with either watercolor pencils or watercolor paints – certainly never markers! As mentioned previously, since I’m all in with Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens for the rest of InkTober, I’m not carrying any other color medium but the markers right now. I got a bit twitchy when I started this sketch; I really wanted to use watercolor crayons and pencils, which seem ideal for the colorful blur of distant trees (one of my favorites using watercolor pencils is this one from a nearby spot a year ago). Even though I don’t like the result as much, I did enjoy the challenge of using brush markers. It’s always good not to fall back on the comfy same-ol’, same ol’, especially during InkTober.

So far, my biggest frustration with markers is that I still haven’t found a way to represent a clear sky in a way that I like. I don’t want to make a solid mass of color full of unavoidable marker streaks, but I don’t like this stripey look, either. With clouds present, I like the cartoony look I discovered a coupleof weeks ago. We’ll see if I get enough clear skies during the rest of InkTober to practice again.

“It Gets Complicated”

 

10/19/26 Fresh Flours Bakery, Phinney Ridge neighborhood

I’m pretty sure they had their facts wrong about probate in Washington State, but I didn’t think they would appreciate my jumping into their conversation to correct them.

I did, however, learn all details of the friend’s will and complicating circumstances that the two women were discussing at Fresh Flours as I sketched. I regret that I couldn’t write fast enough to record everything I overheard, but I made a separate image below so that you could read my notes  more easily. 😉

Marker vs. Pencil: Japanese Maple

 

10/17/26 F-C Pitt Artist Brush Pens in Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook
(photo reference)

If you look closely at the individual leaves of trees that are turning, you’ll see that most exhibit a gradient range of hues. With tiny Japanese maple leaves, the effect is intensified: As small as they are, each still shows a gradient at varying stages of change. From a distance, the visual effect is that the tree looks like a haze of hues: Optical color mixing at its best. It’s different from foliage consisting of much larger leaves, which tends to appear more like large masses of individual hues.

Dashing out for a quick walk and sketch before the predicted rain, I got caught in a shower. I didn’t sketch, but I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos to use later. (See end of post for some Japanese maples from my walking route. Neighborhood leaf peeping continues!).

I’ve always felt that colored pencils and especially watercolor pencils are among the best media to capture that haze of hues I’m talking about. I needed my InkTober sketch for the day, though, so I pulled out my daily-carry palette of Faber-Castell Pitt Brush Pens. It occurred to me that I had probably never used markers to try to capture the Japanese maple effect: It was an excellent opportunity for the challenge!

The result is above. To avoid the “heavy” look that markers can impart fairly quickly, I used the side of the brush nib to get a more pointillist effect.

10/17/26 Cd'A Museum Aquarelle watercolor pencils in
Hahnemuhle Akademie Aquarell sketchbook (photo reference)

That done, I couldn’t help myself: I got out my pre-InkTober daily-carry palette of watercolor pencils (mostly Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle) and used the same photo reference (at right).

With the help of toothy Hahnemühle paper and a relatively dry waterbrush, it was easy to get that haze of color that looks more “realistic” (and frankly, I do love that look). Although the brush marker version doesn’t capture the haze as well, I think it seems fresher and more animated. At least in this case, it surprises me that I prefer it!

What about you? Let me know your favorite media for capturing Japanese maples!

Sublime Color at the Quad

 

10/18/26 University of Washington Quad

Although the University of Washington Quad cherry trees take center stage every spring when they blossom, they are often overlooked in the fall. It’s still a joy to see their sublime beauty – and just as challenging to sketch it! Elsewhere on campus, more trees and even the ivy clinging to buildings were dressed for autumn. As if that weren’t enough, USk Seattle was once again treated to perfect October weather last Sunday afternoon: A bit chilly and breezy in the shade, but mostly clear skies with sunshine.

Unlike in the spring when it’s mobbed, sketchers had the Quad nearly to themselves. I started there and filled a couple of pages among the cherries (top and below).

Getting chilled from standing in the shade of the huge trees, I moved out to Red Square’s sunshine. The Broken Obelisk sculpture and even the statue of George Washington looked lovely in the mid-afternoon light.

UW Red Square

Uncertain about the weather, we had waited until only a couple of days before the outing to announce it. Despite that, USk Seattle made a strong turnout. We all know our days of great weather are numbered!

This hickory is on fire!

Sublime color in the Quad

Look at that ivy!